#76
Posted: 5/24/07 at 3:22am
Not sure if I really want to jump into the fray here... it's a little intimidating to post a contrary view to such a vehement critique, but, here I go... I actually really enjoyed the show.
I've admittedly been excited about this show since I heard it was being developed... the 11-year-old me loved Xanadu the movie when it came out and even as I got older and saw more and more faults with it in repeated viewings, I've always had an affection for it. I was looking forward to the show tonight and *wanted* it to be good... but I kind of accepted the very real possibility it would be total crap... and was pleasantly surprised.
I thought the production was well-suited to the space... the stage was pretty small with much of it taken up with on-stage seating. Cast members often exited by actually coming down the steps from the stage and exiting through a door in the house.
The music is generally the same as the movie... I didn't realize there would be new songs (not original songs, but, new to the story) thrown in, but, I liked them. The story was definitely altered significantly... I wasn't crazy about some of the changes with Danny's character, but, in general I thought it worked.
Definitely very self-referential and tongue in cheek... sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't. The flipping back and forth from the more "formal" language that the muses sometimes used to more slangish/casual language didn't work for me. I also thought while they made good use of a small cast, some of the scenes weren't served as well as they might have been by larger production numbers.
For a first preview, I thought everything seemed in really good shape. There was a little hesitancy on the skates... and it took me a little while to warm up to the main characters, but, overall, I had a lot of fun.
One personal pet peeve... I *hate* "forced" audience participation... if the clapping along to a song doesn't come naturally, no amount of waving your hands in the air and gesturing at the audience is going to make it happen. :P
I agree that a lot of people may not feel this show is "worth" $100+... My sense, though, is that there will often be discounts and rush and, also, the obstructed on-stage seats are $41.25.
Bottom line, I had a great time (and so did my friends), but, I wouldn't recommend Xanadu without knowing someone and feeling like I know their sense of humor and taste in shows. It's not for everybody, but, I think a lot of people will end up enjoying it.
I've admittedly been excited about this show since I heard it was being developed... the 11-year-old me loved Xanadu the movie when it came out and even as I got older and saw more and more faults with it in repeated viewings, I've always had an affection for it. I was looking forward to the show tonight and *wanted* it to be good... but I kind of accepted the very real possibility it would be total crap... and was pleasantly surprised.
I thought the production was well-suited to the space... the stage was pretty small with much of it taken up with on-stage seating. Cast members often exited by actually coming down the steps from the stage and exiting through a door in the house.
The music is generally the same as the movie... I didn't realize there would be new songs (not original songs, but, new to the story) thrown in, but, I liked them. The story was definitely altered significantly... I wasn't crazy about some of the changes with Danny's character, but, in general I thought it worked.
Definitely very self-referential and tongue in cheek... sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't. The flipping back and forth from the more "formal" language that the muses sometimes used to more slangish/casual language didn't work for me. I also thought while they made good use of a small cast, some of the scenes weren't served as well as they might have been by larger production numbers.
For a first preview, I thought everything seemed in really good shape. There was a little hesitancy on the skates... and it took me a little while to warm up to the main characters, but, overall, I had a lot of fun.
One personal pet peeve... I *hate* "forced" audience participation... if the clapping along to a song doesn't come naturally, no amount of waving your hands in the air and gesturing at the audience is going to make it happen. :P
I agree that a lot of people may not feel this show is "worth" $100+... My sense, though, is that there will often be discounts and rush and, also, the obstructed on-stage seats are $41.25.
Bottom line, I had a great time (and so did my friends), but, I wouldn't recommend Xanadu without knowing someone and feeling like I know their sense of humor and taste in shows. It's not for everybody, but, I think a lot of people will end up enjoying it.
